Wolf's Dawn Version 2
by andrewjameswilliams
Summary: Rewrite of Wolf's Dawn. When Xander Harris is bitten by a werewolf his destiny, and the fate of the Scoobies, is changed forever.
1. Chapter 1

_**Wolf's Dawn Version 2**_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the characters and shows that I am about to mangle around for my own amusement, sadly Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and Teen Wolf remain the property of Mutant Enemy Productions and MTV respectively, I am merely borrowing them and make absolutely no profit from their use. As a result, please keep the legal attack dogs, also known as lawyers, firmly muzzled and on a leash as I have no money to give anyone.**

 **Authors Notes: This is obviously a rewrite and expansion on the previous version of Wolf's Dawn. I decided to do this after rereading the story and finding a few things that I was unhappy with, plus after thinking about things I wanted to redo and improve the character of Marcus to give him both more of a backstory and a much better character/story arc than what he had originally. As before the story begins after the end of the events of Teachers Pet.**

 **There are a few other things that will be a bit different with this rewrite though some, but not all, of the previously established plot points will remain. So, without further ado lets crack on with the new version of the story, shall we?**

* * *

 **Chapter One**

Alexander – Xander to just about everyone – Harris smiled as he successfully managed to give the ever-attentive eyes of Buffy and Willow the slip. He was giving them the slip for the simple reason that he really didn't feel like hanging out at the Bronze with them tonight – well for the short time that they would continue to be there. He was aware that soon, as in within the next half an hour, both girls would leave with Buffy escorting Willow home before running a final sweep through some cemeteries before heading home herself. While normally he would have tagged along with them, eager to dust anymore vampires that they came across, tonight he really wasn't in the mood for it. In fact, he was just in the mood to sit down and mope.

The reason why was simple. He was still mentally reeling from that whole thing that had gone down with Miss French just two days ago. Being seduced by a praying mantis demon, who just happened to be able to disguise herself as an extremely hot lady who literally oozed sex appeal, and coming close to dying at her hands so to speak just wasn't something you just got over. Oh, he'd let the girls think he was over it, they'd have insisted on coddling him for days or weeks if he hadn't, but the truth was he wasn't. What had nearly happened still haunted his dreams at night, alongside such things as watching the vampire wearing his brother in everything but bloods face crumble to dust on the end of a stake wielded by yours truly.

Emerging into the cool night air he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Before leaving the bright lights and thumping music of the Bronze behind he began making his way down the streets of Sunnydale towards home knowing that his folks would already be passed out drunk by now – especially as Tony had gotten paid yesterday and typically only spent the minimum on things like food and providing clothing for his son keeping the majority, that hadn't already been consumed by the mortgage, to spend on fresh stocks of booze – they'd already been very tipsy when he'd left to join Buffy and co on patrol and that had been at least two hours ago. Not for the first time he shook his head at the thought of his parents and vowed that he would never, under any circumstances let himself become as useless as they were.

Keeping his guard up for vampires, you never knew where the bloody things were hiding especially at night, and feeling for the reassuring weight of the stake in his pocket he turned down a side street. From experience, he knew a trip down this side street, and then the forth alley that intersected it, would take him over to the side of town where he and Willow lived. It was a shortcut they both knew well and one they'd used for years when leaving or going to the Bronze as it cut the better part of an hour off the walk home.

He was just walking past the first alleyway – which led to the loading dock behind the Bronze – when a strange sound caught his attention. _What the hell?_ He thought pausing and looking round for the source of the noise, a noise that sounded almost like a growl.

"Whose there," he said turning around and scanning around while his hand slipped into his jacket pocket and grabbed his emergency stake. If it was some fang face that was stalking him then the bloodsucking fiend would find him far from the easy prey most of the denizens of Sunnydale were.

Nothing more happened. The growl wasn't repeated, and he saw no sign of a vamp, which would have surely jumped him by now and made the usual lame as hell clichés comments that they liked to make before attempting to drain him dry. Keeping his guard up, he began walking again.

He had barely walked five steps when the sound of something running caught his attention. A moment before something slammed into him from behind and knocked him to a dizzying impact with the floor. Whatever it was it was on top of him, its weight pressing his dazed body down. Shaking his head Xander desperately tried to get his wits back together…

…only to abruptly scream as what felt like jaws clamped down like a steel trap on his right shoulder, teeth easily punching through his jacket and shirt to rip deep into his skin. Fiery agony obliterating every coherent thought in his brain. Despite the pain he felt the jaws release him then the thing, whatever it was that had knocked him down, was gone bounding away into the night. A glance to one side showed him the outline of something furry and with a tail – a large dog perhaps – disappearing into the darkness. Groaning he flipped himself over onto his back and sat up, wincing and biting down another scream as he looked at his wounded shoulder. Blood was welling up through ragged edged holes ripped in his clothing.

"What the hell was that," he groaned through gritted teeth. Doing his best to ignore the pain – something he had gotten very adept at doing over the years of living with that abusive ass Tony Harris, though it had been awhile since Tony had physically hit him as he'd been quietly working out at a local gym for two years now and Tony, being the coward that he was at heart, wasn't about to risk getting into a fight with someone as strong as he was now – he climbed back to his feet. Cradling his wounded shoulder as best as he could he looked back and forth, mentally debating if he should return to the Bronze and get some help from Buffy and Willow – though doing so would no doubt earn him a lecture off both girls for leaving alone in the first place – or just continuing his journey home. Which would let him salvage his pride at the very least, plus the wound couldn't be that bad as really, he was only bleeding a little bit.

Before he could decide the matter was taken out of his hands as two familiar female figures appeared from the end of the alleyway. Both moving fast towards him. _Oh great_ , he thought with a mental groan as Buffy and Willow arrived.

Buffy started immediately.

"Xander why'd you slip out on us like that?" the Slayer demanded, "you know it's dangerous to walk the streets alone at night. What if a vampire had seen you? I don't want to have to sla…" Buffy's lecturing voice trailed off as she saw him cradling a wounded and bleeding shoulder. "What happened?" she asked concern immediately replacing her earlier annoyance at Xander's typical guy behaviour. Honestly why did guys have to be so macho all the damned time?

"Something knocked me down from behind and bit me on the arm Buff," Xander replied wincing as Willow came up and started examining his wounded shoulder, wincing a bit as she saw the blood seeping from the injury, though thankfully none was reaching the floor as his shirt and jacket were soaking the stuff up.

"Did you see what it was," Buffy asked. If it was something demonic she was already fully intent on running it down and explaining to it the depth of the mistake it had just made in attacking her friend. No evil supernatural thing hurt a Slayer's friends and lived to tell the tale.

"I'm not sure but I think it was a dog," Xander admitted. "Afterwards I'm sure I saw what looked like the hindquarters of a big dog disappearing into the night. I don't think it was a demon otherwise why wouldn't it have killed me?"

Buffy frowned. That was a good question, one she would think more on later. Right now, she turned her attention to the wound on Xander's shoulder – throttling down the impulse to be sick at the sight of the blood, she maybe the Slayer and thus used to seeing things that would make most people scream and wet themselves in terror, but the sight of flowing blood really made her feel a little queasy.

"That looks quite deep," she said, "we should get Giles to have a look at it."

Xander started to object only for Willow to speak first. "Giles won't be at the High School now Buffy," she pointed out even as she took a hanky out of her pocket and pressed it against the wound, which was noticeably not bleeding as much now as it had been as the blood began to clot. She was aware of where Giles lived, though she had no intention of telling that to Buffy as the Slayer would still insist on taking Xander to see her Watcher. Which really wasn't necessary for such a relatively minor wound plus she knew from experience that Xander really hated it when people fussed over him, and made decisions for him, in the way Buffy seemed to be doing now.

"That's not a problem I know where he lives," Buffy replied surprising both of her friends as neither had expected that the somewhat air-headed bottle blond Slayer would think to find something like that out. Something must have shown on their faces as Buffy spoke again. "What! Did you think I wouldn't want to know where my Watcher lives, so I can protect him if I must? I've already lost one Watcher I don't want to lose another. Now come on we'll go see him."

"Do we have to Buff its not that bad," Xander answered. "Certainly nothing that a normal household first aide kit cannot deal with."

"Yes, we do now come on," Buffy said glaring at the two of them daring them to disagree with her further. Xander and Willow exchanged glances before, somewhat reluctantly, deciding it was not worth arguing with the Slayer over.

"Alright Buff we'll go," Xander replied with a resigned sigh, before wincing as the motion jarred his wounded shoulder and brought a fresh pulse of blood to the surface.

"I knew you'd see it my way," Buffy answered as she moved up besides Xander and put his uninjured arm across her shoulders. She immediately felt him put his weight on her and not for the first time recently she was surprised to find that his arm was surprisingly strong. He was also heavier than she expected him to be. It made her wonder just what was hidden beneath the baggy clothing that Xander seemed to exclusively favour. Did Xander workout or something?

She put it out of her mind for now. "Let's go," she said. Prompting the three of them to slowly begin moving away heading in the direction of Giles's place.

All three were completely unaware that they had been watched.

As soon as they were out of sight and earshot a figure in a smart suit stepped out from where he'd been hiding as he'd originally intending to intercept Buffy and let her know about some of the rumours which had begun circulating through the underworld of Sunnydale in the last week or so. The currently ensouled vampire Angel frowned as he watched the three of them retreat. He had seen everything that had happened, including the bits that Xander naturally hadn't been able to see. Like the fact that it hadn't been a dog that knocked him down – as he'd naturally assumed – but had in fact been a wolf a very large one. A wolf with glowing red eyes and he knew what that meant. Having lived for more than two hundred years he had encountered werewolves enough times to know one when he saw it, especially one that was an Alpha.

And he knew what being bitten by an Alpha would mean for one Xander Harris.

"Well this should make things more interesting around here," Angel said aloud considering what if anything he should say to Buffy about this the next time he saw her as it really wouldn't do for the teenage girl to get it into her head that he was stalking her. She was suspicious enough about him now as it was, and she didn't even know yet that he was a vampire. Something he hoped she never found out as that would surely quickly earn him a wooden stake to the chest and he could hardly earn redemption for the crimes he'd committed as Angelus if he was turned into a few grams of grimy dust now could he. Yet at the same time the Slayer had to be told that one of her friends was either going to die or become a werewolf.

It was quite the conundrum.

After a moment, he sighed and began following them hoping that he would have a chance of intercepting Buffy when she headed home for the night and somehow work the possibility of Xander Harris becoming a werewolf into the conversation. If he couldn't… well he'd just have to think of something else wouldn't he.

* * *

 **Giles Apartment**

 **Twenty Minutes Later**

Rupert Giles took a sip of his freshly brewed tea and sighed in pleasure. Putting the mug down he picked up the battered copy of Lord of the Rings that he'd been reading before heading to the spacious apartment's surprisingly small kitchenette to make the tea. He was just starting to read about Bilbo's birthday party when his front doorbell went off.

He looked up with a puzzled frown. "Now who could that be," he muttered aloud as he put the book down on the coffee table and got up to see who was visiting him at this time of night. He paused just long enough to pick up a small battle axe from its hiding place and cautiously approached the door. With Sunnydale being the site of a Hellmouth – a revelation that had really set the cat among the pigeons with the Watcher's Council once he'd informed them of it – one could never be too careful when answering the door. Especially at night when there were vampires and all manner of demons wandering about the town, preying on the human population.

Peering through the spy hole he allowed himself to relax when he realised that it was just his Slayer. Though why she'd come to his apartment so late in the evening he had absolutely no idea, surely if she'd seen something she would tell him about it before class in the morning. _Only one way to find out what she wants,_ he thought as he unlocked and opened the door. The greeting he'd been about to give dying on his lips when he saw Buffy holding up a bloody Xander with a frightened looking Willow hovering in the background.

"Good Lord what happened," he asked in a mixture of alarm and concern even as he stepped aside to allow them entry.

"Xander was attacked," Buffy explained as she guided Xander over to the couch and set him down as gently as possible. But not gently enough to not draw a yelp of pain as his wounded shoulder was jarred.

"By what a vampire," Giles asked as he hurried over, "Willow go into the bathroom, it's down the hallway, second door on right, and get my first aid kit from the cupboard." Willow nodded and hurried to comply with the Watcher's orders.

"I'm not sure but it wasn't a vamp. We weren't with him at the time, we found him like that in a side street next to the Bronze," Buffy explained as Giles gently eased off first Xander's jacket then his bloodstained Hawaiian shirt. Buffy's eyes widened slightly as for the first time she beheld Xander shirtless and realized that she had been right Xander did workout as she beheld a muscular torso with a clearly defined chest and the faintly visible beginnings of a six-pack. _Whoa he's hot,_ she thought realizing, for the first time, that Xander was quite hunky.

Of course, right now the pleasant vision was spoiled by the wound on his shoulder. Buffy winced at the sight of it. It was an ugly wound with numerous puncture marks – that could only be teeth marks – on both sides of the shoulder though it had thankfully ceased bleeding. Despite being The Slayer the sight of human blood flowing still kind of made her want to throw up.

"He mentioned something coming out of the alley that runs behind the Bronze," she continued, "whatever it had knocked him down hard enough to knock him near senseless before biting him on the shoulder then disappearing into the night. It must have been a demon of some sort. Xander couldn't tell which direction it went otherwise I would have already run it down and slayed it."

"I see. Buffy can you nip into the kitchen and get a bowl of warm water for me. I need to clean this wound," Giles instructed. Buffy nodded and hurried to comply.

Giles for his part carefully examined the wound on the young man's shoulder. It was a deep wound that had penetrated all the way through a dense layer of hard muscle to the bone in some areas. It was clearly a bite. A bite whose size and shape seemed vaguely familiar from somewhere though he couldn't for the life of him remember where he'd seen a wound like this before. It was certainly too big and too deep for a dog bite.

"Xander this is important can you tell me anything about the thing that bit you," he asked as he looked into the hazel brown eyes of the teenager, eyes that were getting a bit semi-glazed from a combination of delayed shock setting in, pain and a small amount of blood loss.

Xander shook his head. "No, it came at me from behind," he replied his voice slurring slightly for a moment. "All I saw was as it was bounding away was the rear of what I think was a big dog an Alsatian or something. Though the colour was wrong as it was all black."

"I don't think this is a dog bite Xander," Giles answered. "The bite is slightly too big and far too deep for that. It's cut through to the bone in some places."

"If it wasn't a dog then what was it Giles," Buffy asked as she returned with the cloth and the warm water having clearly heard what they were talking about.

"I can't be sure," Giles replied though he did have a suspicion about what it could be, though he hadn't been aware that one of its kind was on the Hellmouth as they generally tended to avoid such places. "I have my suspicions of course but given what little Xander saw, and the fact that you didn't see anything Buffy, but I have no proof. Sorry Xander this is going to sting a bit."

"Is it a demon?" Buffy asked.

"If it is what I suspect it is then it is supernatural but no its not a demon," Giles asked as he gently dapped Xander's shoulder drawing a hiss of pain from the teenager. Willow chose that moment to return with the first aid kit.

"So, what do you think it is, Giles," Willow asked worried for her lifelong friend, she winced as Xander again moaned with pain as Giles dapped his wounds with warm water.

"If I'm right, and we'll know within twenty-four hours if I am, then the creature that bit Xander was a werewolf."

"Werewolf!" Xander exclaimed the word piercing the haze around his mind and bringing him fully awake again – at least for now. He stared at Giles in horror.

"How could it be a werewolf, Giles," Buffy asked, "the full moon isn't for another week, shouldn't it have been human right now?"

"I'm not sure, Buffy as my knowledge of werewolves, and the different types and species of werewolf, is somewhat limited," Giles admitted, "hence why I will have to consult my books."

"When you said twenty-four hours what did you mean? What's going to happen to Xander? If it was a werewolf does that mean he'll become one too?" Willow babbled.

"What I meant if it was a werewolf then the wound on Xander's shoulder will heal completely within twenty-four hours," Giles replied, "and we better hope it does because one thing I know for certain if it doesn't then…"

"Then what," Xander asked.

"Then you'll suffer a painful death as the virus in its saliva kills you," Giles answered sadly drawing a gasp of horror from all three teenagers. "But if the wound does heal then…"

"…I'll become a werewolf," Xander finished for him.

Giles looked sympathetically at the young man. "Yes," he confirmed even as he finished cleaning the wound. "Willow pass me the first aid kit, please."

"If… if I do become a… a werewolf what will happen to me," Xander asked stumbling over some of the words. Much as a part of him didn't want to know what was going to happen to him, if he was indeed going to become a werewolf, the rest of him knew he needed to know. "Will I become a monster?"

"As I said I don't know a huge amount about werewolves, especially the species that has probably bitten you, Xander as that species is quite rare and generally very secretive," Giles replied as he accepted the first aid kit off Willow. He was not at all unhappy about having to repeat that he was quite ignorant of the finer points of werewolves. Given what was certainly going to happen to the young man it was understandable that he would want to know as much as possible; plus, he obviously needed reassurance. "I will of course check the appropriate books for more information as soon as we are done here. But one thing I can tell you for certain, Xander is you won't become a monster. Not unless you want to be one."

"And I'm not going to slay you, Xander," Buffy added "even if you do end up transforming into a man-wolf thing on the full moon all we'll need to do is contain you on those nights. We'll help you through this, won't we Willow."

Willow nodded in agreement bringing a slight smile to Xander's face. "Thanks," he answered softly a slight weight sliding off his shoulders. He was glad to know that whatever else happened to him, even if he started turning into a wolf every full moon, that his friends would be there to help him through it and would ensure that he didn't hurt anyone.

For a few moments silence reigned as Giles carefully placed a sterile dressing on the wound before carefully bandaging it as much as possible. "There," he said as he used a bit of adhesive tape to hold the bandage closed. "I believe it would be best if you stay in my spare room here tonight, Xander," he said to the dark-haired teen. "That way I can check the wound in the morning before we head over to the school."

Xander considered for a moment before nodding. "I think that would be a good idea," he agreed after a moment as he wouldn't want to explain the wound on his shoulder to his parents when they woke from their drunken stupor.

"We should call your parents then, tell them," Buffy said. "You can say you're staying with me or Willow for the night, so they don't worry."

"They won't answer now," Xander replied at the shocked and surprised look Buffy shot him he, reluctantly, explained "they'll be sprawled out drunk on the couch by now. They were already extremely tipsy when I left to come

"Do they do that a lot," Giles asked frowning, "drink I mean."

"More than I'd like," Xander admitted.

"I see," Giles replied making a mental note to speak to Xander more about it later, but first he needed to do a little bit of research into the whole werewolf thing. "If you'll wait here, Xander I'll go set up the bed in the spare room for you. As for you two," he looked pointedly at the two girls, "you should head home."

"Giles…" Buffy started to object.

"There is nothing more you can do here tonight, Buffy," Giles told his Slayer firmly. "Go home and get some sleep as you do have school tomorrow." Buffy made a face at him but ultimately nodded in agreement.

"He's right, Willow," she said looking at her redheaded friend.

Willow looked like she was about to object but one look at the faces of both the Slayer and the Watcher convinced her that any argument she could make about staying here would be futile. Accepting the inevitable she, as gently as possible, hugged Xander – and despite the situation enjoying the feel of his toned muscles against her body – before stepping back and nodding at Buffy, who then gave Xander a hug of her own before heading for the front door. Willow followed and in moments they were gone, back out into the street.

"Wait here," Giles said gently to Xander as he stood up.

"Is there anything here that I can read about… about you know."

"I do have a few books on werewolves yes," Giles replied before going over to a bookcase and after a moment of searching took one out. "This should tell you the basics about werewolves and the different types and species as well as their abilities. I will need it back to review myself afterwards."

"Thanks," Xander replied accepting the book with his uninjured arm before opening the book to the first page. Giles watched him for a few moments as he began reading the book with an understandable seriousness, before smiling and heading for the airing cupboard to get out some bedding for Xander to sleep upon tonight.

* * *

 **Outside Giles Apartment**

"Do you really think it was a werewolf that bit Xander Buffy," Willow asked as she and the blond Slayer stepped out into the night leaving Giles apartment, and Xander, behind.

"I'm not sure," Buffy admitted.

"It was," a familiar voice said out of the darkness. Buffy blinked and looked around.

"Angel," she asked a moment before the handsome, and deeply mysterious, man appeared seemingly out of the shadows.

"Hello Buffy," the often annoyingly cryptic man replied. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Willow. Willow this is Angel, Angel Willow," Buffy said introducing them before rounding on the strange man who roused such contradictory feelings in her as she got the distinct impression that whoever he was Angel wasn't as human as he looked. Which instantly put the slayer in her on guard yet at the same time she doubted he was anything evil as he'd had plenty of opportunities to attack her since she'd arrived in Sunnydale only he hadn't.

"How do you know the thing that bit Xander is a werewolf," she demanded. "In fact, how the hell do you know that Xander's been bitten in the first place? Are you following me?"

"No, I'm not following you and the reason I know is I saw everything," Angel replied. "Including the parts that your friend naturally couldn't see since he was attacked from behind. It was a very large wolf that attacked him, a wolf whose eyes glowed red."

"What does that mean," Buffy demanded.

"Your Watcher will be able to explain it in more detail," Angel answered, "but the fact that he's been bitten by an Alpha means your friend will either turn or he will die."

"That's what Giles said," Buffy commented. "Is there any way to know what will happen?"

"No," Angel replied then stepped back into the darkness and tapped into his mental abilities as a master vampire to essentially cloak himself in the shadows.

"Angel, Angel," Buffy called out after him, intent on asking him more questions. Only to find that the mysterious man had done his disappearing act on her, again.

"Does he do that a lot," Willow asked seeing Buffy's frustration at Angel doing a disappearing act on them.

"All the time," Buffy moaned but then brightened up a little. "But at least he confirmed for us that it is a werewolf who bit Xander."

"Yeah but what are we going to do about it? Both about Xander likely turning into a werewolf and the werewolf who bit him?"

"For Xander help him adjust to all the changes he goes through because of being bitten," Buffy replied. "And well the full moon comes around, I meant what I said about not slaying him. If I must knock him out and chain him up whenever he transforms, then that's what I'll do. As for the werewolf who bit him he or she has made a terrible mistake biting our fried. And when I find them I will take great pleasure in explaining to them the depth of that mistake.

"Beyond that the only thing we can do is support Xander and look for a cure for lycanthropy for him if one exists."

Willow nodded in agreement. She was already planning to go on her computer as soon as she got home and start researching werewolves and try to separate the reality from the fantasy. After more fact's they knew about real life werewolves the easier it would be for them to help Xander adjust to the reality of being one. As Buffy had said it was really the only thing that either of them could do for him.

* * *

Standing on a nearby rooftop a tall, heavily muscled – and incidentally completely naked – man watched both girls walk away. He'd been carefully tracking them from up here, as most people just didn't look up as a matter of routine, ever since he'd bitten Alexander Harris. The conversations he'd overheard, taking full advantage of the massively enhanced hearing of his kind, were both interesting and concerning.

Interesting and concerning for if he was right then the blond-haired girl was the Slayer. He mentally kicked himself for not investigating Alexander's friends more thoroughly before committing to biting him. Instead he'd only done a cursory investigation of them enough to determine that Buffy Summers was your classic LA valley girl while Willow Rosenberg was the poster girl for introverted, genius bookworms everywhere. As it was he'd focused more on Alexander, watching him both in school – as he'd start teaching there tomorrow and thus had been there on and off for the last fortnight getting to know the school facilities and faculty, which had been more than enough time to develop a very strong dislike for Vice Principal Snyder – at the Bronze and at the gym where he knew the kid worked out. He'd determined that the young man would be a good beta and he would need all the good beta's he could get if he wanted to complete the ritual and gain the power he'd need to take out the hunters who'd murdered his pack without warning or provocation.

Now though it looked like he might have miscalculated. Buffy was the Slayer and that could present him with a whole slew of unexpected obstacles, especially as she was apparently out for him for biting her friend. He sighed softly to himself. He'd survived this long, overcome dozens of obstacles since the deaths of his pack, his family to get this far what were a few more? If in overcoming the obstacle of the Slayer he eventually made her an ally then much would become possible, especially if the hunters eventually tracked him down to the Hellmouth.

He turned his thoughts to the stranger who'd appeared out of the shadows and talked to the Slayer. There was something strange about Angel, something that set the hairs on the back of his neck on end. The fact that he'd apparently watched him bite Alexander – and he hadn't known he was there – was a concern. As one thing was clear whoever he was Angel was not a human as there was no way for a human to hide from a werewolf's senses at such a close range. He would have to keep an eye on him and see what more he could find out about him.

But that was something for later. Now it was time to head home and begin preparing for his first full day of work at Sunnydale High tomorrow. Turning he walked across the roof to the fire escape. After descending several stories to the street below he concentrated and immediately felt his body shifting and changing…

…seconds later he ran out the alley he'd descended into not as a man but as a very large black wolf.

* * *

 **Author Note: Well the first chapter of the rewrite is complete. I hope you all like the changes that have been made to the story and the glimpse into Marcus's motivations. What ritual he is working towards doing a completing you will have to wait and see.**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Wolf's Dawn Version 2**_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the characters and shows that I am about to mangle around for my own amusement, sadly Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and Teen Wolf remain the property of Mutant Enemy Productions and MTV respectively, I am merely borrowing them and make absolutely no profit from their use. As a result, please keep the legal attack dogs, also known as lawyers, firmly muzzled and on a leash as I have no money to give anyone.**

 **Authors Notes: I think I need to clarify a few things with this story concept before continuing with the chapter. The biggest is since Sunnydale is the sight of a Hellmouth it is a place highly charged with supernatural energy as such it will have some effects on how wolves turned in the town will develop. Not to a huge degree I think more like how an evolved werewolf like Derek who can turn into a full-blown wolf right from the word go, making controlling shifting a little harder to learn as not only do they have to learn to control the hybrid wolfman form but the transformation into an actual wolf.**

 **Finally, I will say this that this will not turn into a super-Xander story. Buffy is still considerably stronger than he is – though getting into a close-range fight with a werewolf would not be a good idea for her given they have very sharp claws and teeth and are generally better fighters than your average vampire – though he will have a much better sense of smell than the Slayer as Slayer senses are geared towards sensing supernatural threats like vampires. Strength wise I figure that Xander will be more a less a match for your average vampire minion. I hope that reassures those guest reviewers who were a little worried about Xander being overpowered. Though the thing they must remember as well is Xander is not like Scott McCall he won't constantly hold back his strength in the way Scott does.**

* * *

 **Chapter Two**

 **Guest Bedroom**

 **Giles Apartment, Next Morning**

Xander groaned softly as an insistent electronic bleeping sound roused him out of the deep, uneasy sleep that he'd descended into the night before. Groaning again and shifting in place in the very comfortable single bed he slowly, somewhat reluctantly, opened his eyes and immediately blinked in confusion as he saw a plane magnolia coloured wall. _Huh this isn't my bedroom,_ he thought sitting up and looking around in honest befuddlement. _Where the hell am I?_ he thought. _And what's that insistent electronic bleeping?_ It sounded like an alarm clock, but he couldn't see one in this strange bedroom, yet the beeping was so loud that it had to be coming from somewhere in this room.

That was when his gaze landed on his right shoulder and saw the dressing and bandage there, the white standing out starkly against his tanned skin. It was then that he remembered everything that had happened last night. Leaving the Bronze, being bitten by something, being brought here at Buffy's insistence so that Giles could tend to the wound. He remembered the discussion that had followed afterwards and Giles bombshell that he had certainly been bitten by a type of werewolf. He remembered going to bed in Giles spare room, and struggling to get to sleep due to both a strange bed and the stabbing pain in his wounded shoulder.

A pain that wasn't there anymore.

Experimentally, bracing himself for pain, he moved his shoulder. No pain came though he could feel the dressing pulling against his skin as he moved. Shaking, honestly fearing to see what he was mostly convinced he would see he cautiously undid the bandage and carefully peeled off the dressing… to reveal smooth unblemished skin. The bite on his shoulder was gone as if had never been present at all. And from what he'd read last night before coming to bed he knew what that meant.

He was now a werewolf.

And now that he thought about it, the wound healing wasn't the only thing that had changed overnight about him. Everything felt different somehow, he could feel something in his body a strength and an energy that he'd honestly never known before, it was strange but not uncomfortable, in fact it felt very natural as if it had always been meant to be there. A part of him couldn't wait till this evenings trip to the gym so he could start seeing just how much stronger he'd gotten.

A sudden thud from somewhere above made him jump.

"What the?" he said looking up, idly noting that the electronic alarm sound had disappeared. After a moment he heard a shower running and guessed that Giles had gotten up and was having a shower before getting ready for the day. _How the hell can I hear that like I'm in the room with him,_ he thought, _never mind if the G-Man is getting up I better go and make a pot of tea for him. Better dress first though as I doubt Giles would appreciate seeing me in nothing but my underpants._

As he dressed he realized that he was going to have to go home and get changed before heading to school. There was after all no way that he could turn up at school wearing the same clothes that he'd been wearing last night, not only did he have far more pride than that but there was the glaring issue of the hole in his jacket and shirt where he'd been bitten last night. Despite his friendly nature Principal Flutie wouldn't hesitate to book him into a month of detention if he turned up looking like that and he wouldn't blame the affable man one bit if he did. And that paled into the trouble he'd get off Cordelia and her little gaggle of sycophantic 'friends' who wouldn't hesitate to tease him mercilessly about it.

"I'll get Giles to drop me off there on the way to school," he said to himself as he finished dressing. Moments later he was walking into the apartment's kitchenette and beginning to prepare to do breakfast for himself and Giles. After all it was the least he could do to repay Giles kindness last night.

* * *

 **A Few Minutes Later**

Dressed and ready to face another day on the Hellmouth Rupert Giles was greeted with the quite delightful smell of frying bacon as he descended to the ground floor of his split-level apartment. _I guess Xander's up,_ he thought as he came to the bottom of the stairs and made his way to the kitchen. Sure, enough there was the dark-haired teenager standing at the stove frying bacon.

"Morning, Giles," Xander said in greeting not looking up from what he was doing.

"Good morning, Xander," Giles replied watching the young man work and noting he was using his right shoulder without any sign of discomfort, he also didn't seem to have the bandage and dressing on anymore.

"And how is your shoulder this morning?"

"It's fine. It doesn't hurt anymore. I checked when I woke up and the wounds gone," Xander answered then paused what he was doing and looked over at him, "I guess we know what that means."

"Indeed, we do," the Watcher agreed inwardly feeling more than a little sorry for the younger man, who he had to admit he had started to become quite fond of. Xander really didn't need this, didn't need to be drawn deeper into the supernatural world than he'd already willingly come. But sadly, he had been, and it was now his duty of care as a Watcher, and more importantly as a friend, to help him adjust to the realities of being a werewolf. _At least he's a type one,_ Giles thought recalling all the Council notes on werewolves that he'd read last night, _even when he shifts he should be fully aware and, with a little bit of work, able to keep full control over himself. Unlike the type two's which turn into mindless beasts around the full moon._

"Have you noticed any differences," he asked after a moment.

Xander frowned thoughtfully. "Well I heard your alarm clock this morning, it's actually what woke me up," Xander admitted after a moment as he resumed frying the bacon, "and I heard the shower upstairs start. And my body feels… well really strange… different I'm not sure how to put it into words."

"It's alright I get what you mean," Giles assured him guessing that what Xander was referring to be the fact that his body had, in a very real sense of the word, remade itself overnight. In fact, he was probably still changing a little bit which would easily explain why he felt so strange. He quickly said as much to the young man.

"If you're already noticing changes in your senses," Giles continued, "then you should soon start noticing other differences, other changes that the bite has made to your body, soon enough."

"I guess," Xander admitted as he finished frying the bacon and transferred it to a plate which then went into oven, which was on extremely low power, just to keep warm. "How do you want your eggs? Poached, scrambled or fried?"

"Poached. But you know you didn't have to do breakfast, Xander," Giles pointed out.

"I wanted to," Xander replied as he put the water on to heat up, so he could poach some eggs, "plus I'm kind of used to having to sort my own breakfast out in the mornings."

"Your parents drink that much?" Giles queried, he well remembered what Xander had said last night about his parents drinking far more than he'd like them to, but he hadn't quite realised that their alcoholism was quite that bad. If they were either too hung over or too drunk to properly feed and clothe their son, then what else did they do to him? He had a suspicion that they had beat him as it would well explain Xander's preference for long sleeved clothing, but he had no proof.

"They drink all the time, G-Man," Xander replied. "Literally all the time, the only time they don't is when they're in work. Even then I've known dad take some Jack Daniels in a small flask."

"Forgive me for saying so but, Xander it sounds to me like you need to get out of there."

"And go where," Xander asked. "The only other family I have in town is Uncle Rory. And he drinks as well, but that's because of some of the things he saw during Desert Storm. And then there is my dad if I left he'd have nobody but mom to blame his failures in life on." He looked down. "At least he hasn't beat me for a while, not really since I started working out."

As he finished speaking he felt, not for the first time, the familiar loathing he had for Anthony Harris especially. The man was a grade a scumbag who hated everyone and who'd dragged his mother – once an intelligent, kind and caring woman – down to his useless, alcohol fuelled level of existence. The anger surged within him, burning like molten lava in his veins, as not for the first time he wished the man would just die already then, he could get his mom some help and maybe get back the attentive mother she had once been. Abruptly he felt something inside react, come surging forth from somewhere deep within the very fibre of his being, and with a sudden jolt he realized it was the wolf now within him. _Oh hell,_ he thought as a tingling pain began in his hands and in his face bringing with it a feeling of his features beginning to change. He could feel the wolf trying to overwhelm him but knowing instinctively he could not allow that he balled up his fists and began fighting with himself.

* * *

Unaware of what was going on Giles narrowed his eyes at the confirmation that Xander was indeed an abused child. It explained so much from his preference for long sleeved clothing – even when short sleeved cloths would be more appropriate and comfortable, even he'd been known to wear short sleeved shirts on the hottest days of the year – to his generally quite low level of self-esteem. Though it was a relief to know that Xander wasn't physically beaten anymore by his father, though verbal beatings – which he surely still got – could hurt far, far worse than a physical one.

Of course, now that he knew about the abuse he had a duty of care – both as a Watcher and a member of the High School faculty – to do something about it. He would have to talk with Xander about it first, see if it was alright for him to start dealing with the situation. It would have to be dealt with soon as newly turned werewolf and abusive, alcoholic parents did not make for a very good combination. In fact, it made for a very bad, potentially homicidal combination and he didn't want Xander to have that on his conscience.

As if to prove that point Xander started growling, and not in a human fashion. The growl was deep, guttural and utterly inhuman, the growl of an angry werewolf. "Are you alright, Xander," he asked concerned, prompting the young the dark-haired teen to look up and turn his attention to him.

Despite having half expected it from the way he was growling Giles was still surprised to see that the young man's eyes had changed, instead of their normal warm hazel brown they were glowing a bright golden colour almost like the colour of molten amber. His facial features were also starting to distort brow ridge starting to protrude more and his nose starting to broaden into a more lupine form, he could also see bushy black fur starting to sprout from the sides of his face towards his jaw. Plus, he could see his ears lengthening and moving into points.

"It's alright," he said softly knowing he needed to help the young man calm down, so he could regain control otherwise he would shift completely – and probably rip him apart in a flurry of primal anger without his conscious human mind being present to stop it.

"Xander I need you to listen to me, can you do that?" he continued and got a nod from the newly turned werewolf. "I want you to take deep breaths and then slowly let them out, with each exhalation imagine your anger draining away."

He watched as the younger man did as he instructed – taking in deep breaths and slowly letting them out through his open mouth, which now clearly sharp teeth present teeth that Giles knew could render his flesh and bone with ease. Slowly the breathing exercise seemed to work, Xander's lupine features fading away back into his normal human appearance until finally even his eyes stopped glowing and returned to their normal brown colour.

"Are you alright now," he asked softly.

"Yeah man that was scary," Xander answered looking down so as not to meet Giles gaze. Instead he looked at his hands which were now showing distinct puncture wounds from where the razor-sharp claws emerging from his fingertips had pierced his flesh. As he watched the bloody puncture wounds ceased bleeding and closed the spilled blood staining his palm fading moments later. "I've never felt like that before… if you hadn't told me to do that I would ha…." His voice trailed off and he shivered as he imagined just what he could have done to Giles. "I'm a monster, now aren't I?"

The hint of despair and self-loathing that he heard in Xander's voice made Giles want to cry. "No, you're not a monster," he replied putting a gentle but firm hand on Xander's chin and forcing him to look up and meet his eyes, "you're a werewolf. There is a difference. Yes, there is a wolf inside you now, but it is part of you and thus you can learn to control this, Xander. It doesn't have to control you."

"Do you really think so?" Xander asked a note of desperate hope in his voice.

"Xander I've only known you a short while but in that time, I've learned that you can do anything that you put your mind to. I know that you can do this," Giles answered drawing a slight smile from the younger man and making his eyes shine with unshed tears. With a jolt Giles realised that nobody – other than probably Willow and the late Jesse – had ever expressed confidence in Xander before, certainly no adult. "Now why don't you go and set the table I'll finish breakfast."

"Alright," Xander agreed.

As the young man left the kitchenette Giles mentally sighed. He was going to do everything in his power to help Xander not just come to terms with his sudden transformation into a werewolf but with his horrible home situation. It would take time, and gentle patience from him, but he would do anything and everything in his power to help him.

Decision made he turned his attention to finishing off making breakfast.

* * *

 **Harris Residence**

 **An Hour Later**

Giles pulled his classic Citroen car up outside the bungalow that Xander called home. He hadn't really wanted to bring the teenager back here after what he'd told him earlier, not to mention the fact that the young man's buried anger had surged to the surface and caused him to start shifting, but Xander had made a good point that he couldn't turn up at school wearing his torn and bloody clothing from yesterday.

"If you want I'll wait for you here," he said looking over at said teenager sitting in the passenger seat.

"It's alright G-Man," Xander answered as he released his seatbelt and opened the door. "I can manage and if I'm lucky my folks will still be passed out drunk."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah I'm sure. I'll see you at school."

Giles considered insisting on staying, just in case of another shifting incident but decided he didn't really have a choice but to leave. He would have to trust that, if his parents did wake up, that Xander wouldn't lose his temper and end up turning into a werewolf again and slaughtering them. He decided he would pull away and park around the block, that way he would be able to get here quickly to intervene if anything happened and if it didn't – well he'd be able to pull away and get to the High School without Xander being any the wiser that he'd stayed here.

"Alright I'll see you at school," he said gaining a nod from Xander as the young werewolf got out the car and closed the door behind him. For a moment he watched him walk up the path before starting the engine and pulling away.

* * *

Xander was nervous as he walked up to his front door. He hoped his folks were still passed out drunk, or had gone off to their respective jobs already, so he wouldn't have to deal with them. He wasn't sure he could deal with their hungover behaviour after everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours – especially as the Harris' idea of a hangover cure was to just start drinking again to numb the pain. _It's a miracle that they haven't dropped dead from alcohol poisoning years ago the way they carry on,_ he thought as he reached the front door and let himself in…

…and almost staggered as a wave of strong scents slammed into him with the force of a tsunami. It made his eyes water and almost was enough to make him gag. The interior of the house stunk of various brands of alcohol, sweat, vomit and human excrement. _Great one of them has wet themselves again or worse pooped on the carpet again,_ he thought as he slipped into the house. Without realising he was doing it he began moving with the natural stealth of the predator he now was through the darkened interior of the bungalow. The scents assaulting his nose were naturally strongest in the living room and poking his head around the door he saw them.

Both Tony and Jessica Harris were sprawled out on the couch almost exactly where they'd been when he left them last night. Both were still snoring loudly, and he could see fresh vomit scarring the leather where one of them had thrown up during the night, the two drunken louts hadn't even bothered to attempt to clean it up. A bucket sat nearby and from both experience and the smell he knew what would be inside of it. He couldn't help but wrinkle his nose in disgust at the scene.

Shaking his head, he moved on heading to his room.

* * *

They were still out for the count ten minutes later when, face still damp from a quick wash before dressing, he passed the living room. He couldn't wait to get out of this place as the smells were starting to make him feel more than a little light headed not to mention a little sick. _Giles is right,_ he thought with a mental sigh, _I'm not going to be able to stay here. Super senses and useless, perpetually drunk parents just aren't a good mix._

He was increasingly tempted to take up Giles offer of staying in his spare room and the Watcher applying for custody of him on grounds that his parents, as drunken louts, were completely unable to care of him and were in fact downright abusive. They'd talked about, really talked, after breakfast with the Watcher's gentle persuasion getting him to really come clean on what his home life was like. Which was when he'd made the offer.

The only thing holding him back though was his worry for his mother. He could take Tony's abusive language and these days never acted upon threats of violence. His mother though, having been so thoroughly beaten into the ground by her husband, couldn't. If he left what would become of her? Being the coward that he was Tony wouldn't hesitate to beat up his wife in response to whatever had gone wrong in his worthless excuse for a life today. Did he have the right to leave her in such a dangerous environment?

Of course, the other thing preying on his mind was the whole werewolf thing. Not only were the smells in his place disgusting and would either end up giving him a headache or making him sick if he stayed too long but there was the whole shifting when angry thing to think about.

That had been scary as the wolf in him had been all set to attack and probably kill someone, in that instance Giles, it had taken all he could muster to stop it and listen to Giles as he told him how to push the anger away allowing him to regain full control over himself and the wolf within. Somehow, he knew that if he lost it at home, which he would the next time Tony tried to use him as a verbal punching bag, then he could end up killing his parents. And while he wouldn't give a fucking damn about Tony – hell he'd happily dance or piss on the drunken loser's grave – killing his mother, who was just as much a victim as he was, would certainly destroy him.

He was really going to have to think about it all as it was a classic catch-22 situation.

A sigh of relief was drawn from his lips as he emerged from his home back into the fresh air. A breeze was blowing in from the ocean today, not only making the temperature a little cooler than it normally would be even this early in the morning but bringing with it the faintest hints of the oceans saline scent which mixed with the scents of all the flowers in the various gardens and the smell of earth dampened by water sprays.

"Man, these enhanced senses are going to take a bit of getting used to," he muttered to himself as he walked down the path towards the sidewalk and from there, ultimately, to Sunnydale High School.

* * *

It didn't take him that long to reach the high school, there were some benefits after all to knowing all the best shortcuts in Sunnydale plus for some reason the jog to school had been easy today. He hadn't even broken a sweat and with a jolt realized that it was another sign that he was, technically speaking, no longer a human being.

He did his best to ignore that thought as he began making his way through the thronging crowds of teenagers – all of whom were talking and generally enjoying the last few minutes of freedom before lessons got going for the day – towards the central courtyard. It was strangely easy to avoid hitting any of them, usually he bumped into two or three people every morning but not today it seemed, as he arrived at the central courtyard where a few seats and benches were laid out for the convenience of staff and students alike.

Of course, that was where he was promptly ambushed as Buffy and Willow appeared from behind one of the plants where they'd obviously been waiting for him. Both the Slayer and his oldest surviving friends made a beeline straight for him and he resisted the impulse to sigh knowing he was certain to face a questioning double team from them.

"Morning girls," he said in greeting deciding he might as well get this over with.

"Morning Xander," Buffy replied as she gazed at her best male friend and noted with some surprise that he was dressed very differently to normal this morning. Instead of one of his garish Hawaiian print shirts he was wearing a simple black long-sleeved t-shirt that hugged closer to the contours of his torso and arms than the normal loose shirt did. As such it was very suggestive of the muscles that she now knew were there she could faintly see how his pecs were pressing lightly against the shirt and the arms were tight enough that it left very little to the imagination. She forced herself not to look over his well-muscled arms and torso – though she approved of the suggestive clothing as while he wasn't the biggest boy in the school in the muscles department Xander was still quite a hunk if she did say so herself – instead to look at his right shoulder.

To see no sign of the dressing that had been put there last night.

"Your shoulders healed hasn't it," she asked.

Rather than answer out loud Xander merely nodded as he understood the shirt he was wearing was quite tight – it was the first thing he'd grabbed out the wardrobe as he'd just wanted to get out of that smelly house as quickly as possible – and thus didn't hide very much. He had to admit though wearing it had been a good call as he could see how both Buffy and Willow were checking out his physique without trying to. Who knew now that she knew he had some muscles maybe he would be able to convince Buffy to go out with him as he had no intention of every going out with Willow. Despite what the shy redhead thought he had never been blind to her intentions towards him, but he just didn't see her that way. Willow was more a sister to him than a potential love interest, besides he'd seen her quietly watching the cheerleaders and female athletics team enough times to know that – though she hadn't admitted it yet even to herself – Willow leaned more towards the homosexual end of the spectrum.

His non-verbal answer had Buffy frown worriedly and exchange a concerned glance with Willow. Who she noticed with some amusement was doing her best not to drool at the suggestive clothing Xander was wearing. Though if she was honest she wasn't entirely blind, she knew which way Willow really leaned – a few of the girls she'd known back in Hemery had been lesbian, so she knew what she was looking for – and was only trying to convince herself of a sexual interest in boys as a form of self-denial. Of course, she hid that she knew that as playing the stereotypical dumb blond did have its perks.

She exchanged an amused look with Xander before gently tapping Willow on the shoulder. "Willow," she said making the red head emit a startled squeak as she jumped before, realising what she'd been caught doing, looking down and blushing as red as her hair. "Look at Xander's shoulder. The wound on it is gone."

"Oh, does that mean that…" Willow started to say.

"It does," Xander confirmed. "And I've already started noticing things."

"Like?" Buffy prompted only for Xander to look away as the sound of another conversation abruptly reached his ears. Looking over he saw Cordelia was with Aura – the only one of her Cordette's who seemed to be a true friend to the queen of Sunnydale High's social scene as the rest of them like Harmony were clearly nothing but sycophants only there to boost their own positions in the school's social hierarchy- and both girls were talking. As he watched some of their conversation grew louder in his ears, so it was like he was right next to them.

"…seen the new teacher yet," Cordelia was saying.

"Yeah, I have he's hunky," Aura replied. "I wonder what subject he's going to be teaching."

A dainty hand waving in front of his face jolted him out of listening.

"You okay, Xander," Buffy asked as the newly turned werewolf's attention returned to her and Willow. "You seemed miles away then."

"Yeah sorry I was just listening to Cordelia and Aura talking," Xander replied. "I didn't want to but suddenly I could just…"

"…hear what they were saying," Buffy finished for him with a knowing look on her face. In a very real sense she'd been where Xander was now as part of the whole Slayer package was having some enhanced senses to better track vampires and demons with. Hearing conversations that she shouldn't be able to had been quite jarring after she'd first been called. It had taken her awhile to learn to control it and her other enhanced senses as one thing the Slayer calling didn't come with was an easy to read instruction manual – she imagined being turned into a werewolf was the same thing. Hell, Xander probably had it worst than she did as one enhanced sense she didn't have was a sense of smell which he, being a werewolf and all, almost certainly had.

"Well yeah," Xander answered looking sheepish. "How did you know?"

Buffy smiled. "Because I've been there myself. It used to happen to me all the time when I was first called," she replied. "Suddenly having enhanced senses among other things did take quite a bit of getting used to. Eventually you'll learn to shut it out and to only listen when you want to. I'm quite happy to give you a few pointers if you want."

"Thanks, Buff."

"You're welcome. So, what were they talking about?"

"Some new teacher," Xander replied as the three of them walked into the High School, "probably Dr Gregory's replacement. Well unless some more teacher positions have become available due to the gangs on PCP."

"I don't think so," Buffy answered reading the code word used by the local authorities to refer to vampires. "We'll know soon enough since we have biology first session. Hey Willow have you checked the staff lists recently?"

"Yesterday," Willow confirmed as they reached their lockers and started getting out the books needed for the first lesson of the day, "before going to the Bronze. There's only one new staff hire, a Dr Fredrickson – he's our new biology teacher."

"Huh I wonder what he's like," Buffy mused a moment before the warning bell rung announcing to all students that it was time to get to class. "Well we'll know in a minute come on."

"Right behind you Buff," Xander replied as the Slayer led the way away from the lockers, with himself and Willow bringing up the rear.

In minutes they'd filed into the biology classroom and taken their seats. All around other students milled about and settled down into their seats waiting for the lesson to begin. The bell sounded again letting all students and staff know that lessons were officially beginning. Xander couldn't help but wince as the noise assaulted his newly enhanced hearing. Buffy noticed and gently reached over from next to him and put her hand on his, prompting him to look at her to see the question in her eyes. He smiled back letting her know that he was alright. Buffy smiled back and withdrew her hand.

It was at that moment that the teacher arrived. Xander blinked when he saw a familiar dark haired, heavily muscled Caucasian man come into the room. He knew him he'd seen him at the gym a few times in recent weeks, pounding the weights hard and not looking at all out of place amid the local bodybuilding crowd. He hadn't realised that the man was a teacher and there was something else about him, something in the way he moved that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

Doctor Fredrickson looked at him and he suddenly found that he couldn't meet the mans eyes. Instead something inside prompted him to look down and away, to bear his neck slightly to the other man. It was deep, instinctive and…

…came from the wolf inside of him.

Suddenly he knew who the other man was. Knew that appearances aside that Doctor Marcus Fredrickson was not really a human being. Instead he was in fact a werewolf and not only that, but _he was the werewolf who'd bitten him._

* * *

 **Authors Notes: Well that's the second chapter of the redo done, I'm honestly surprised how quickly its coming together. Not many changes yet to be honest though that will soon change as the story goes on. I do hope you all like the expanded scenes a bit as well as some of the new dialogue. One another note I hope nobody minds me writing Willow as gay right from the word go in this story – as she was clearly gay from season four onwards what with her relationships with first Tara then Kennedy and such a thing would not happen overnight. On another note do people want me to try to do a relationship between Buffy and Xander?**

 **Finally, with Christmas barely four days away now this is probably going to be my last fic update of 2017. I will try to get another update done for this or one of my other stories but with so little time left – and so much still to do to get ready for the festive season – I cannot make any promises. If I cannot do anymore updates, then let me just take this moment to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and I'll see you all in the New Year.**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Wolf's Dawn Version 2**_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the characters and shows that I am about to mangle around for my own amusement, sadly Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and Teen Wolf remain the property of Mutant Enemy Productions and MTV respectively, I am merely borrowing them and make absolutely no profit from their use. As a result, please keep the legal attack dogs, also known as lawyers, firmly muzzled and on a leash as I have no money to give anyone.**

* * *

 **Chapter Three**

 **Library**

 **Sunnydale High School**

 **Sometime Later**

"Are you absolutely certain about this, Xander?"

From where he was sitting beside Buffy on the steps leading to the upper level of the library Xander nodded in response to Giles question. He had just finished telling the Watcher and his two friends what he'd felt the moment that he'd laid eyes on the new biology teacher and the fact that he couldn't seem to look him in the eye.

"I'm positive, Giles," he replied "I've seen the guy a few times before at the gym and never felt or experienced anything like this before today. Don't ask me how I know I just do but our new biology teacher is the werewolf who bit me last night."

"I see," Giles answered with a frown. This was going to make things difficult as he had somehow never considered the possibility that the new biology teacher was anything other than a normal human being – albeit someone who was obviously seriously into bodybuilding. He had certainly never considered the possibility that he was not only a werewolf but the werewolf who'd bitten Xander last night. It made him wonder if he had an ulterior motive for joining the teaching staff, maybe scouting for more innocent teenagers to bite and turn into werewolves. Since coming in today he'd read up more on type one werewolves and knew from those books that teenagers were the most likely to turn when bitten – being three to four times more likely to become werewolves themselves than an adult.

If that was his purpose, if he was here to build a pack, then what were they to do about it? All the information he'd read indicated that even for a Slayer an Alpha werewolf was not a foe to be challenged lightly. Thus, he couldn't just unleash Buffy on the man, no matter how much Buffy would certainly want to beat him up for turning Xander, as while she would have the advantage in agility and raw strength fighting an Alpha would not be easy, especially as they were almost always highly experienced combatants – unlike vampires who tended to be primarily street brawlers – used to taking on opponents with equal or greater strength than themselves. Not to mention their claws that were sharper than razor blades and could easily inflict terrible, possibly even fatal, injuries to even a Slayer.

Plus, there was the issue of Xander. All the information he'd read confirmed that there was supernatural bond between an Alpha and any wolf they made. He would have to do some very thorough investigations into its nature, and what effects severing it could have, before they did anything about Dr Fredrickson.

"So, what do we do," Willow asked. "We just can't let him get away with biting Xander like he did?"

"And we won't I will go to his house tonight and slay him," Buffy replied a predatory look on her face. She was already looking forward to explaining to the werewolf the depth of the mistake that he'd made by attacking and turning Xander. Right before she sent him the way of all the other supernatural nasties that she'd faced over the last year.

"Yes, well I don't think that would be a very good idea, Buffy," Giles cautioned his Slayer while mentally rolling his eyes at the typical 'shoot first, ask questions later' response that seemed to be quite endemic to Americans.

"Why not?" Buffy demanded

"Because have no real idea why he is here as everything I've read today indicates that type one werewolves hardly ever come to a Hellmouth though I have no idea why," Giles continued. "until we know why he is here it would be inadvisable to take any action against him. Plus, for all we know the attack on Xander last night could have very easily been an accident considering you had only recently finished patrolling."

"You mean he could have assumed I was a vampire," Xander asked curious and wondering how that could have happened. Then he remembered that when Buffy had staked that last vampire, before they'd headed for their traditional post-Slaying glass or two of coke at the Bronze and for his part another moping session over what had happened with the she-mantis demon who'd been pretending to be Ms French, the wind had blown the dust all over him which aside from causing a coughing fit could have easily passed the vampire's scent onto him. If Dr Fredrickson had noticed him at the gym before, which was a real possibility given how often he went there, then the scent could have led him to believe he'd been recently turned and was out searching for a meal.

"Possibly as there is some evidence that type one werewolves and vampires are natural enemies. If he thought, you were one and went to attack only to realise at the last moment that you were human it would explain why he bit you but didn't kill you. Which leads to the final reason why we can't just kill him," Giles answered and looked pointedly at Xander "and that's you."

"Me?"

"Yes, one of the most interesting things about your kind of werewolf is there is a supernatural bond between an Alpha werewolf and any Beta that they make," Giles explained, "your inability to look him in the eye in class and the fact that you knew instantly what he was is already proof of its existence. We do not know what effect severing the bond would have on you, especially if its severed by Doctor Fredrickson's death. It could drive you insane or transfer his Alpha powers to you and considering you don't even have a handle on your existing lycanthropic abilities…"

"That would be a bad thing," Xander finished with an inward shiver at the reminder of his lack of control. The fact that he'd come so close to losing it this morning and killing Giles just because he got mad at Tony. Frankly it still terrified him. And if control was so difficult now how bad would it be if they killed Marcus and he became an Alpha in his place. Something told him that the control problems would be a million times worse.

"So, what do we do," Buffy asked with a slight pout. She'd so wanted to beat up the werewolf who's turned her friend but now she apparently couldn't. And she could somewhat understand the reasons as the last thing she wanted was to drive Xander mad by killing the person he was, somewhat unwillingly, now supernaturally bonded to.

"One we watch him carefully to see if we can find out exactly why he has come to Sunnydale and if biting Xander was deliberate or accidental," Giles said. "If he is deliberately turning people against their will, like he's done to Xander, then we'll stop him one way or another. Two we have to begin making plans for the full moon."

"Oh yeah that's in three days," Willow exclaimed slightly alarmed. She couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen to Xander when the full moon came up. What form his inevitable transformation into a werewolf would take, would he turn into an actual wolf, some hybrid anthropomorphic form or something more like the wolf man look of the more classic horror movies? And would said transformation be as painful for him as werewolf transformations were often shown to be in the movies? She just didn't know as the little research she'd done last night hadn't been at all informative of this front.

"Tell me something I don't know, Wills," Xander replied a fearful look on his face as he thought about his, inevitable, metamorphosis from human to werewolf and how the hell he was going to manage it. Somehow, he didn't think the simple breathing exercise that Giles had taught him this morning would be any help keeping the Wolf in him under control during the full moon. He knew somehow that he would transform, the question was how he would manage then. Could he stay in control or would the beast within overwhelm him? "What are we going to do about that?" he asked, "if I lose control when I… when I change I could easily hurt someone or worse."

"I won't let that happen, Xander," Buffy replied putting a hand on his shoulder to provide some moral support and reassurance that she would not let him come to harm, or let him harm others, when the change came upon him. "All we need do is figure out some way of containing you and if you got out – well I'll knock you out if I have to."

"Thanks, Buffy," Xander answered relieved to know that whatever else happened the blond Slayer wouldn't allow Wolf-Him to harm anyone.

"I have already begun looking into various locations where we can ensure both your own and everyone else's safety during the full moon, Xander," Giles told him. "I have also looked up some additional breathing and meditative exercises for you that should help you maintain control during and after a shift. I have begun copying the instructions to a pad for you to read and I'll certainly be available should you require any help."

"Thanks," Xander replied a moment before the bell sounded to inform students that it was time to start heading to their next classes. Prompting him to sigh as he realised what was due next, unlike Buffy and Willow he didn't have a free period so couldn't just hang around here with them in the library on the pretext that they were 'studying', no he had to head across to the gym. Resigned to having to go, well unless he wanted to explain everything to Principal Flutie who would never believe him, he stood up.

"Where you off to?" Buffy asked curious as she hadn't realised that Xander had any different lessons to her and Willow today. There timetables had a very nice tendency to overlap much of the time, which really came in handy when they had some research to do.

"Gym class," Xander replied as he picked up his backpack. "Which I'm really not looking forward to."

"Oh, why not?" Buffy asked wondering what was wrong with gym class. It was always a cool time, especially if they were outside and she got to watch all the hunky guys in the school get sweaty out of the training field or in the gymnasium. Which she guessed was where they'd be this afternoon given that some thunderstorms were forecast for this afternoon.

"Do you have any idea how bad the boy's locker room smells?" Xander asked with a raised eyebrow. "Especially as the cleaners only ever use dirt cheap, and near useless, cleaning products in there? It, was bad enough when I was normal but now it's going to be even worse."

Buffy grimaced. "I get you," she said with an understanding nod though her enhanced senses were mostly her hearing and eyesight – which allowed her to easily see in the dark – than smell though there was some small enhancement their, but it was minor and certainly nowhere near as extensive as the enhancement to Xander's nose would certainly be like. "I have to say that of all my Slayer powers the enhanced senses took the longest for me to really get used to. Though you do have one advantage that I lacked at the time when I was called."

Xander raised an eyebrow. "Which is," he asked curious.

"You know what's happening to you and why. I didn't when it happened to me, not until Merrick found me," Buffy replied her eyes turning sad at the mention of her first Watcher. She hadn't forgotten how he'd sacrificed himself for her, to save her from some of Lothos' minions. Though she'd dusted Lothos and his entire coven – in the process burning Hemery High's gym to the ground, which had gotten her expelled but it had been worth it to see that master vampire, one of the worst in centuries, die – in retribution for Merrick's death it haunted her to this day.

From where he was standing Giles looked sadly at his charge. He knew full well that Buffy was still deeply troubled by the death of his predecessor. Merrick's loss had been a terrible blow to the Watchers Council as an institution – thought Quentin Travers and his traditionalists had been quick to capitalise on the sudden weakness in the ranks of those who wanted to modernise things with the Council a bit caused by Merrick, one of their greatest proponents, being killed – and him personally. He'd known John Merrick well and considered him a friend, indeed Merrick was one of the people who helped him recover from the dark magic abuse he'd taken part in during his rebellious 'Ripper' phase, which was why he'd jumped at the chance to replace him as Buffy's Watcher.

The bell sounding again, this time as a final warning before class started, broke the moment. "I need to go," Xander said softly, putting a comforting hand on Buffy's shoulder for a moment before leaving the library.

"Buffy, you should follow him to the gym," Giles said softly as soon as he was sure that the younger man was out of earshot even for someone with enhanced hearing.

"Okay why?" Buffy asked as she pushed down her memories of Merrick and the lingering pain and grief that they brought instead focusing on the immediate issue.

"Just to keep an eye on him," Giles replied, "my books indicate that intense physical activity, especially where there is a great degree of competition involved, can cause control problems for newly turned Beta level werewolves like Xander. So, I would like you to go to the gym and just keep an eye on him just in case."

"You mean he could t…t…transform in the gym," Willow asked.

"At very least partially if he's not careful," Giles replied, "especially if somebody makes him angry as negative emotions like anger make keeping control much harder."

"So, he could hurt someone?" Willow questioned with a worried frown knowing how likely it was that some of the jocks would do something to annoy Xander, especially the football players who saw themselves as so superior to everyone else in the school. _Poor, Xander why did Doctor Fredrickson have to do this to him,_ she thought. _Though maybe it was an accident and he didn't intend to bite Xander._

"No, he could very easily end up killing someone if he loses control even for a moment," Giles answered as bluntly as possible so both girls would know just how serious the situation was. From the gasps and horrified looks that both Buffy and Willow shot him he knew he'd succeeded.

"Alright Giles I'll go," Buffy answered, feeling once again a surge of anger directed at the lycanthropic teacher who'd bitten Xander. "Is there anything in specific that I need to look out for? Any sign that he might be about to…" Her voice trailed off as she found herself unable to say the words that would have completed the sentence.

"His eyes," Giles replied as Buffy trailed off. "Keep an eye on them, if you start to see a gold glow appearing for more than an instant then get him away from the others, I don't care how you do it just get him away from the rest of the people in the gym. If it helps remind him of the breathing exercise I taught him this morning, if he starts to get close to losing it that could help him. It might also be an idea to watch his hands, his finger nails starting to turn into claws could also be a sign that he's about to lose it."

Buffy nodded in understanding before looking at Willow. "You going to come, Willow?" she asked knowing that Willow stood a better chance of keeping Xander grounded than she did, she'd known him longer after all.

Willow considered for a moment then nodded as she could see where Buffy was coming from. "I'll come with you," she said at last standing up.

"Alright let's go," Buffy said. Willow nodded back, and the two girls hurriedly left the library heading for the gym. Giles watched them go with a faintly resigned look knowing that they were both likely to be really confronted with the fact that technically Xander wasn't really a human being anymore. And that said encounter would probably be deeply shocking for them, to see real visible evidence of the supernatural creature the young man now was. He made a mental note to be ready to speak with them about it should they need to.

In the meantime, he could get back to doing some research into one Doctor Marcus Fredrickson, maybe even tap some of his supernatural contacts both inside and outside the Council now that he knew the man to be an Alpha werewolf. Maybe he would be able to find out just what had drawn a type one werewolf to a Hellmouth. And maybe from there may be why he might have deliberately chosen to bite Xander.

* * *

 **Author Note: Another redo done only a few minor grammatical changes needed here and some slight cleaning up to make the story flow a little bit better and reduce some of the admitted overpowering in the original version. Still much shorter than I would have liked but I saw no way to really lengthen the chapter. This however will be the last chapter without major changes, from here on in I plan for things to go a little differently than they did in the original version.**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Wolf's Dawn Version 2**_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the characters and shows that I am about to mangle around for my own amusement, sadly Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and Teen Wolf remain the property of Mutant Enemy Productions and MTV respectively, I am merely borrowing them and make absolutely no profit from their use. As a result, please keep the legal attack dogs, also known as lawyers, firmly muzzled and on a leash as I have no money to give anyone.**

 **Authors Note: From here is where I will really start changing how events transpire in comparison to the original version of this story. For example, I will not be doing the battle on the spirit plane that happened in the original as it no longer fits in with my plan for how Xander ends up becoming an alpha werewolf. As a result, he will remain a beta werewolf for a little bit longer than in the original version of the story.**

* * *

 **Chapter Four**

 **Library**

 **Sunnydale High School**

 **Three Days Later**

"Are you sure this is going to work, Giles?"

Buffy's question hung pregnant in the air of the quiet library, most of the students and faculty having long since headed for their homes for the evening. _Or in the case of most of the student's home then the Bronze since tomorrow is Saturday,_ she thought knowing it's what she would have been doing, though in her case she would have been watching for the vampires who would inevitably show up looking for meals at the Bronze, had the circumstances been different. As it was the source of her question was right in front of her.

The book cage had been emptied of its contents the books themselves piled neatly on the tables nearby, so they would be easily put back ready for Monday. Surrounding it - aside from a gap near the door – Giles had placed a thin line of some greyish brown powder and had a small pot off to one side that he could use to completely the line once Xander entered the impromptu cage. The reason he had to go in there was obvious as tonight was a full moon and he… well… he was soon going to transform into a werewolf.

Buffy inwardly grimaced slightly at the reminder that, despite appearances, her best male friend wasn't technically speaking human anymore. Most of the time it was easy to ignore the fact that he was a werewolf but there were times when it was undeniable that he was. Like during gym class three days ago. She and Willow had ended up watching the boys play dodge ball and while normally she'd be more interested in watching the hunkier guys get all sweaty – after all she was a teenage girl – she'd kept her eyes on Xander the entire time.

For the most part the game had gone well. Well aside from Xander seemingly dodging every ball that was thrown his way by the opposing team with an easy athleticism that he'd never been shown to possess before. At least till Larry and Percy decided that they'd had enough of him showing them up and decided to double team him. She clearly remembered what happened next as it had clearly communicated to both her and Willow the reality that Xander wasn't entirely human.

* * *

 _She felt like cheering as she watched Xander evade yet more balls thrown at him by the opposing dodge ball team, which consisted of some of the biggest guys in the school amongst them Larry, with an effortless ease that she could only admire. Though at the same time it was kind of freaking her out as he'd never displayed anywhere near that level of athletic ability before now, which meant it was something that he now had because of Doctor Fredrickson's bite._ _Gah I wish Giles would let me slay him for that,_ _she thought, entertaining herself with thoughts of slaying the Alpha werewolf slowly and painfully for his actions._

 _Willow poking her in the ribs brought her out of those fantasies and she gave the redhead a thankful look and turned her attention back to the game and Xander. Just in time to see him dodge another ball only to be hit hard in the face and chest by two balls thrown by Larry and Percy who'd obviously decided they'd had enough of him showing them up and double teamed him. The impacts knocked Xander onto his back with a yelp of pain, surprise and more a little anger at the obvious double teaming._

" _Harris off," the coach shouted._

 _Buffy stood up as Xander got back to his feet, glared at the two smugly smirking jocks for a moment before moving to the bench and sitting down. Whereupon he promptly looked down and seemed to her to be trying to push something away with breathing exercises. Concerned that he might have been hurt, those balls had been thrown quite hard after all, she moved down to him with Willow beside her._

 _"Xander are you alright," she asked as she stood in front of him. He didn't answer. "Xander."_

" _What!" Xander answered at last but his voice didn't sound quite right. She and Willow exchanged a concerned look as there was a distinct hit of a wolf's angry growl in his voice._

" _Are you alright?" Buffy queried again reaching out and gently making him look up at her. She couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath as she saw his eyes, instead of their normal warm hazel brown they were glowing a brilliant gold. As Xander was taking in breaths through his nose and slowly breathing out through his mouth she also got a distinct glint of distinctly canine fangs being present in place of his normal incisors._

 _But they were only there for a moment. As she watched the fangs seemed to melt away and turn back into normal looking teeth, simultaneously the golden glow in her friend's eyes faded back into the normal brown. Though it had only been for a moment the sight of at least part of the wolf now inside and part of him had been something of a shock._

 _Damn you Marcus for doing this to him,_ _she thought,_ _one day, as soon as we're sure doing it won't hurt Xander, I will make you pay for it_ _._

* * *

"It will work, Buffy," Giles replied jolt her out of the flashback. "Just in case the book cage isn't strong enough I've placed an incomplete line of powdered mountain ash wood around the perimeter. Once Xander goes inside the cage I'll complete the ring."

"What good will that do," Willow asked.

"It will form a kind of magical barrier, kind of like a mystical force field," Giles explained, "no supernatural being like Xander will be able to penetrate it… unfortunately it will also work on you, Buffy. Since you're the Slayer you are also technically a supernatural being." He didn't add that Buffy would be able to overpower a mountain ash fuelled barrier with only a relatively small amount of effort as she didn't really need to know that. After all it was not like vampires would be able to use one against her as they'd be affected by it too and there were very few vampires in the world strong enough to breach such a barrier. Only the oldest of master vampires would have the strength to do that and even then, it would leave them seriously weakened afterwards.

"So, I won't be able to get out," Xander questioned.

"Exactly you'll remain trapped inside until someone breaks the line of mountain ash," Giles explained. "You won't be in danger of hurting anyone."

Xander smiled back in relief. He started to open his mouth to say something but before he could form any words he stumbled as a wave of vertigo rippled through him accompanied by a momentary wave of intense itching in his hands and face. He felt a familiar pair of dainty hands steady him to stop him falling over at least till the sensation passed.

"Xander," Buffy asked concerned.

"I think its time," Xander answered somewhat breathless. He glanced up to see the bright silver-white disc of the full moon appearing from behind the few lingering clouds left over from a vicious thunderstorm earlier in the day. He winced as another wave of vertigo and itching, this time accompanied by a brief stab of pain rippled through him.

"Indeed, enter the cage," Giles instructed looking at the young werewolf sympathetically knowing from his research that the first shift was always the roughest on a new beta as it was the one shift that was always painful. Another thing his research had revealed was how little, if any, control the younger man would have after his metamorphosis as apparently it took time for a new werewolf to learn how to keep control during and after a shift especially on the full moon. Xander nodded back and resolutely entered the cage, Buffy followed a little way behind him coming just close enough to close and lock the door. As soon as his Slayer withdrew Giles moved forward and carefully completed the line of mountain ash.

"So, what do we do now," Willow asked a half a second before Xander abruptly screamed in pain.

Turning her full attention to her best friend she could only watch helplessly as he staggered back, then forward before collapsing to his knees hands resting on the thick mesh, head down as his chest heaved with rapid pained gulps of air. _Oh Xander,_ she thought sympathetically. She couldn't help but both flinch and jump as he abruptly threw his head back and opened his mouth to scream again… only the sound that emerged from his mouth wasn't a scream of pain but a deep animalistic roar that made the blood in her veins turn to ice. It was all she could do not to run away screaming in fear.

"It's hurting him so much," Buffy said softly, sadly as she watched Xander continue to convulse in pain for a second before he just… changed.

As she watched his finger nails lengthened and sharped turning instantly into inch long, razor sharp claws. Simultaneously large fangs erupted into existence in his mouth and thick silky black fur seemed to burst through the skin on his cheeks making him look like he suddenly had mutton chops. From here she could see his ears shift, lengthen and becoming pointed like the ears of a wolf.

Then he looked straight at them and she couldn't help but take a startled step back at how his face had changed. It was still Xander's face but there was a distinct, inhuman distortion to it that for a second reminded her quite strongly of a vampire's game-face. The biggest similarity being the pronounced brow ridge though even that was different, smoother and much more natural looking. Unlike a vampire he still had some eyebrows though they now had the same silky black fur look as the hairs running down the sides of his face towards his jaw. His nose appeared flatter and broader, which coupled with his glowing golden eyes – which were looking straight at them with both raw primal power and a hint of hunger, there was no sign of Xander in those glowing eyes – gave his face a very distinct lupine appearance while still maintaining a lot of human overtones.

For a few moments the werewolf that Xander had changed into looked at them, then stepped forward and cautiously pressed a clawed hand, a hand that she noticed had a thin film of the same black fur growing on the back that disappeared up his arm and under his shirt, against the metal mesh of the cage. It pushed hard, and the metal flexed slightly but didn't break, the interlock of the steel mesh resisting the wolf's strength. Obviously not something to be deterred the werewolf pushed again this time with both hands and the mesh flexed slightly harder and further out a microsecond before there was a bright blue flash that momentarily blinded her. Even as her eyes adjusted she heard the distinctive thud of a body hitting the floor and heard a very canine whine of a mixture of pain and surprise.

As her vision cleared she saw the werewolf – somehow it was easier to think of it as just the werewolf than Xander now – lying flat on his/its back halfway to the other side of the cage. The werewolf looked up and she couldn't help but giggle at the look of absolute befuddlement on its hybrid features as the supernatural creature tried to work out exactly what had just happened. Shaking off its confusion the werewolf stood back up, growled angrily and charged the cage with the same blue flash/repulsion effect that knocked it on its ass again.

"Well at least we know the mountain ash works," Buffy said turning to look at Willow and Giles and saw Willow crying softly her eyes focused on the werewolf. Giles followed her gaze and saw the same. He quickly moved over to her and pulled her into a hug, knowing that seeing this – seeing her best friend since childhood painfully transform into a werewolf – had been very hard for her. After a moment he became aware of Buffy joining the hug from the other side.

"It hurt him so much," Willow sobbed into Giles jacket.

"My research indicates the first transformation always does even for a type one werewolf," Giles replied, "I'm sorry I shouldn't have let you be here to see this."

"We needed to be here, Giles," Buffy answered a second before the sound of breaking glass caught all their attention. Breaking the hug Buffy whirled back to look at the cage…

… to see the werewolf had broken one of the high windows on the wall and was now climbing out through it. Giles eyes widened, and he mentally kicked himself as he realised he'd forgotten to put mountain ash on the window ledges making it possible for the werewolf to reach the windows.

"Buffy go out the fire escape get after him," he said. "Disable him then bring him back here. Willow get me the mountain ash we're going to seal the hole in the cage."

"On it," Buffy replied and ran for the library's fire exit knowing it came out on the same grassy courtyard as the book cage windows.

In mere seconds she was outside and moving to the broken window. Whereupon she found something that momentarily shocked her as she saw in a pile and looking like they'd been torn off were Xander's clothes. Squatting down she carefully examined them and noted that they'd been torn apart from within and that here and there were bits of black fur. Something had obviously happened; the werewolf had obviously changed form more once out in the unfiltered moonlight and in the process ripped apart Xander's clothes. Looking around she spotted tracks in the damp grass, tracks that looked nothing at all like footprints but paw prints, very large paw prints.

 _Okay he may have turned fully into a wolf though why would that happen now? Surely if he was going to transform to that level he would have done so inside,_ she thought as she carefully began to follow the tracks while mentally making a note to talk to Giles about it later. She followed them carefully around the perimeter of the school grounds until she came to behind the cafeteria where the rubbish bins were located. When she got there, she found one of the dumpsters not just open but over on its side and inside, rummaging through the bags of waste food was a wolf.

But it was not a normal wolf it was too tall, being roughly the same size as a St Bernard. It was also, like a St Bernard – which she was very familiar with as her late maternal grandmother had had one – much more muscular than a normal wolf was. Knowing she had to somehow get the beasts attention – as the food scraps in the dumpsters were certainly not going to satisfy it for long – she looked around and spotted a crumpled-up soda can. _This will do,_ she thought picking up the can before with impeccable aim throwing it at the werewolf. The can striking it hard on the rear haunches making it yelp more in indignant surprise than pain as she hadn't thrown it that hard. Forgetting its meal, the werewolf turned to her glowing golden eyes locking onto her in anger. Then it snarled and started to charge to meet her intent on killing the one who had attacked it…

... only to abruptly stumble and fall over.

 _Now what?_ Buffy thought only for her eyes to widen as the prone werewolf began convulsing and she got the distinct impression of battle being fought. After a few seconds the convulsions stopped, and the wolf got back upright before looking at her. Only for her to see that its golden eyes, while still glowing brightly, had undergone a very real but at the same time indescribable transformation. Intelligence had reappeared and with a slight jolt of surprise she realized exactly what had happened, Xander had someone been able to regain control at least somewhat over the werewolf.

"Xander?"

* * *

 **A Few Moments Earlier**

Xander was only faintly aware of what the werewolf he'd become was doing. When the transformation had taken place, he'd felt himself be pushed back into the deepest corners of his mind. He'd almost been sent over the edge into the darkness but somehow, instinctively knowing if he went in there he would never be able to learn to control the wolf, he'd stopped himself falling over that mental precipice. Though it had left him somewhat exhausted.

Thus, he barely noticed when wolf-him escaped from his impromptu cage through a window that Giles hadn't thought to block up with mountain ash. He certainly couldn't do anything about it now though when he turned back he would be so having words with the Watcher about that oversight, especially if wolf-him ended up hurting someone – or worse – now that he/it was free to roam the streets of Sunnydale. As soon as the wolf was out in the bright unfiltered light he sensed more than felt – in this mental prison of sorts he could barely feel anything – a wave of energy come from somewhere deep within. He immediately sensed/felt his wolf self changing morphing into another, completely different form. Seemingly from a great distance away he heard his clothes ripping apart as his body transformed.

Then he was looking down a long muzzle like what you would find on a wolf or a dog and got the distinct impression that he was now on all fours. With a mental jolt he released he'd transformed into an actual wolf, albeit one that – going on the level of his new eyeline – seemed to be taller than any currently existing wolf species. _Huh weird none of the books I've read over the last few days said beta wolves like me could assume a wolf form,_ he thought even as he was aware that wolf-him was moving and seemed to be heading across the manicured lawns surrounding the school towards the back of the wing that housed the canteen.

In moments he was there, and he became aware that the wolf was sniffing around the bins. In mere seconds it had one over and was ripping open a rubbish bag to get at the remains of a chicken within. _Suppose eating scraps from the bin is better than the alternative,_ he thought a moment before he heard the wolf abruptly emit a yelp of indignant surprise and pain. _Now what?_

Horror gripped him as he sensed the wolf turning then saw Buffy nearby. He both felt and heard the wolf's growl of anger. _No, I can't allow this to happen,_ he thought and struck out at the mental barrier around him with everything he had. For a second the barrier resisted then gave way allowing him to mentally pounce on the controlling primal power and instincts of the werewolf. Immediately he felt the instincts and impulses clawing at him, biting at him as the wolf tried to push him off so to speak, to throw him away allowing it to keep control.

But he refused to give ground this time. Fuelled by a desperate desire to prevent the werewolf hurting his friend – and honestly his love interest – he refused to give into it, refused to let it win this time. After what seemed like an eternity he felt the instincts and primal power stop clawing at his mind instead he felt it merge becoming the part of him that it truly was.

Sensation returned with breath-taking suddenness. He could feel the concrete – still slightly damp from the water sprays that kept the grass around the high school a lush shade of green – beneath the paws that earlier had been his hands and feet. He could feel the gentle breeze blowing in from the Pacific as it rustled through his fur and hear the evening crickets as well as the sound of cars driving on the freeway through the middle of town on their way to Los Angeles.

"Xander." The sound of Buffy's voice caught his attention and he looked up to see the Slayer looking back at him in a mixture of weariness, concern and a bit of hope. "Xander is that you now?"

Somehow knowing he wouldn't be able to talk in his form and having no idea how to shift back into his human form, not that he would now even if he knew how as he would be kind of naked, he settled for simply nodding back. Then he felt the most curious sensation that made his butt move from side to side. Curious he glanced down his side, noting his very wolf-like form though he was bigger and more muscular than a natural wolf, to see what the sensation was. _Oh, I have a tail,_ he thought incredulous.

A scent abruptly caught his attention. He looked up and sniffed more deeply. It was an irony smell mixed with a faint hint of the characteristic smell of a dead body. And it seemed to be coming from somewhere just beyond the trees. _I wonder what that can be,_ he thought a second before a feminine scream followed by the distinctive growling snarl of a vampire reached his ears. Growling he instantly realized what the smell was and ran to deal with the vampire that both his fledgling vampire hunters instincts and his new werewolf instincts told him to kill.

"Xander wait," Buffy exclaimed as Xander – who she had to admit made a very handsome wolf, though the look on his wolf face when he realised he had a tail had been quite amusing, it had been all she could do not to laugh as she doubted that Xander would have appreciated that – took off in the direction that scream had just come from. She immediately began running after him, bursting through the trees and bushes that lined the edges of the school grounds just as the familiar sound of a vampire growl came from somewhere up ahead followed by a loud yelp of pain.

"Get off me you mutt," a male voice yelled as Buffy came upon the scene. To see a teenage-looking male vampire attempting to shake off Xander who'd grabbed onto his leg, allowing a young woman – who'd obviously been the vamps intended victim – to run away. _Nice one Xander,_ she thought as she retrieved her stake and charged in to attack. The fang face obviously heard her coming for he looked up and his sickly yellow eyes widened in horror as he beheld her stake and instantly realized who she was.

"Slayer," he snarled as he attempted, yet again, to shake off this bloody big mutt that had come out of nowhere to grab him. And incidentally cost him a meal, something that it would pay with its life for if he could get the blasted things jaws to release. Of course, he'd have to defeat the Slayer first.

"Slayee," Buffy replied as she dove in, easily evading a desperate, clumsy attempt by the vamp to bat her away with his arm and slammed the stake hard into its cold unbeating heart. A microsecond later two sounds filled the air, one being the familiar eerie scream of demonic anguish as the vampire turned to dust. The second was the sound of canine coughing as Xander got a mouth and nose full of the grey dust.

 _Sheesh this stuff tastes foul,_ Xander thought as he spat out the dust and coughed several times to clear his lungs. _Note to self, release the vampire as its dusted next time._ He looked up at Buffy, glowing eyes holding a question about what to do now. He was quite prepared to go patrolling as he was though somehow, he doubted that Buffy was going to go for it. And he was proven right moments later.

"Come on Xander," Buffy said. "We need to go back into the library, Willow and Giles are waiting to put you back in the cage."

Wishing he could talk in this form, so he could tell the Slayer that there was no way he was going back in the book cage, he expressed his displeasure at the thought of that in the only way he could. By emitting a plaintive whine. "Oh, don't worry I'll tell them its not necessary," Buffy said soothingly. "But we should still go back now. Come on."

With that the blonde Slayer turned and began walking back to the school. Xander gave a wolfy sigh and experienced the odd sensation of his tail – which it was so going to take ages to get used to having, but then so was the whole being able to turn into a giant wolf thing – suddenly being between his legs before he followed along behind her. Mentally he resigned himself to whatever fate was waiting for him.

Moments after the Slayer and werewolf were out of sight, and earshot, then a man who looked like he'd just stepped out of the nineteen seventies appeared seemingly from nowhere. For a moment he just stood there and looked in the direction that the supernatural duo had just vanished in. Then he smiled slightly.

"Well this is interesting," Whistler said.

* * *

 **Authors Notes: Well another chapter bites the dust and from here things are really going to go differently to the original version of the story. As you may have noticed there are some subtle differences between Xander's werewolf form – both the hybrid beta form and the full-blown wolf form – in comparison to what is depicted in Teen Wolf canon. This is because he was turned on a Hellmouth and thus his wolf-side is slightly more primal than the norm for his type of werewolf though still fully controllable by Xander himself once he figured out how. I hope nobody minds.**


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